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Originally Posted by edluva
sorry for not being very tactful - that's one of my biggest flaws. LA is suburban, but it's not a big suburb. there's a bit of a difference. LA is a huge mess, but within the car-dependent LA is a dense, *vibrant* urbanism whose definition doesn't rely on a grouping of steel skyscrapers. Meaning you can remove our CBD and it will be every bit as chaotic and full of pedestrian activity as before because urbanism stretches far beyond our CBD. My point was that if Houston's CBD were removed, what would you guys have to fall back on in perpetuating that "urban Houston" myth? 99 percent of your belief is centered on the subconscious impact of having a big skyline, even if for brief moments, your discussion diverges to montrose or other parts of town which offer fleeting moments of pedestrianism at best.
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I really doubt if you removed LA's CBD it would be every bit as "chaotic and full of pedestrian activity" as you say. Furthermore, you are really underestimating Houston's core if you think Uptown (Galleria), Greenway Plaza, and the Texas Medical Center don't significantly impact our "urban Houston." Not to mention Houston's core has our major universities and cultural centers.
But whatever, go on and continue to act like you understand Houston.
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Originally Posted by BnaBreaker
I hate the heat too, and if they were available to me, I may use the tunnels as well on the hottest of days. But really, it's not like Houston is the only city in the world that suffers from extreme weather. In my opinion, that tunnel system seriously hurts downtown Houston in that it takes away a significant portion of street traffic, which lowers the demand for pretty much everything on the street, which lowers the amount of goods and services that are offered there.
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It's not just the heat and humidity, it's the rain as well. Lot's of thunderstorms and downpours in Houston during the spring and summer.
I agree that the tunnel system really hurts Downtown but it's not like the tunnel system doesn't provide all the food and retail needed to support Houston's downtown daytime population. Obviously, the fact that it closes in the early evening hurts our downtown "vibrancy".
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Originally Posted by photolitherland
I wish they would close them off so the street could actually sustain retail stores. uhg. The 50s and 60s totally fucked Houston over big time.
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You are probably right. Downtown is slowly changing but it's hard to compete with the surrounding areas (midtown, montrose, neartown, east end, etc.) for residential and retail.